Teaching in a Competency-Based Secondary School

“Robert J. Marzano, Alexander S. Aschoff, and Ashley Avila . . . offer constructs for developing clear learning goals, proficiency scales, and assessments that will save you decades of work, helping you move your teachers and students toward a better learning future.”

— B O B S O R N SON , founder, Early Learning Foundation; author, Brainless Sameness: The Demise of One-Size-Fits-All Instruction and the Rise of Competency Based Learning

“I challenge any educator to read this book and not feel morally compelled to shift their practices in order to better meet the needs of all learners. It is a step-by-step, how-to guide that recognizes the dual need for classroom teachers to provide students with both instruction of new knowledge and skills and support so they can self-manage their own learning in a move-when-ready, competency-based classroom setting.”

— B R I A N M . STAC K , coauthor, Unpacking the Competency-Based Classroom: Equitable, Individualized Learning in a PLC at Work®

Competency-based education (CBE) is an effective means of ensuring growth and learning for all students. In Teaching in a Competency-Based Secondary School: The Marzano Academies Model, authors Robert J. Marzano, Alexander S. Aschoff, and Ashley Avila introduce a purpose-built model of instruction for secondary teachers facilitating student learning, supporting individual growth, and fostering community in CBE systems. Based on decades of research, as well as practical experience in Marzano Academies schools, this book offers a detailed breakdown of effective teaching for competency-based classrooms.

Middle and high school teachers seeking to adopt or adapt the tenets of CBE can rely on this definitive guide.

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Understand competency-based education and Marzano Academies’ specific approach

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Familiarize themselves with the four domains, ten design areas, and forty-nine elements of the Marzano Academies instructional model

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Implement the model in their competency-based secondary classrooms with practical examples and strategies

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Facilitate their students’ journey to proficiency with academic content and development of important mindsets and life skills

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Develop the correct mental approach to realize the full potential of CBE

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MAR ZA N O • A S C H O F F • AVI L A

READE R S WI LL:

TEACHING IN A COMPETENCY-BASED SECONDARY SCHOOL

THE MARZANO ACADEMIES MODEL

THE MARZANO ACADEMIES MODEL

TEACHING IN A COMPETENCY-BASED ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

THE MARZANO ACADEMIES MODEL

TEACHING IN A COMPETENCY-BASED SECONDARY SCHOOL Robert J.

MARZANO

Alexander S.

ASCHOFF

Ashley

AV I L A

THE MARZANO ACADEMIES MODEL

Robert J.

MARZANO Alexander S.

ASCHOFF

Ashley

AV I L A

©️2022 by Solution Tree Press

TEACHING IN A COMPETENCY-BASED SECONDARY SCHOOL

Copyright © 2022 by Marzano Resources Materials appearing here are copyrighted. With one exception, all rights are reserved. Readers may reproduce only those pages marked “Reproducible.”

Otherwise, no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission of the publisher and the authors.

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Printed in the United States of America

Names: Marzano, Robert J., author. | Aschoff, Alexander S., author. | Avila, Ashley, author.

Title: Teaching in a competency-based secondary school : the Marzano academies model / Robert J. Marzano, Alexander S. Aschoff, Ashley Avila.

Description: Bloomington, IN : Marzano Resources, [2022] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2022008700 (print) | LCCN 2022008701 (ebook) | ISBN 9781943360437 (paperback) | ISBN 9781943360444 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Competency-based education--United States. | High school teachers--Training of--United States. | Education, Secondary--United States.

Classification: LCC LC1032 .M39 2022 (print) | LCC LC1032 (ebook) | DDC 370.11--dc23/eng/20220310 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022008700 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022008701 Production Team President and Publisher: Douglas M. Rife Associate Publisher: Sarah Payne-Mills Managing Production Editor: Kendra Slayton Editorial Director: Todd Brakke Art Director: Rian Anderson Copy Chief: Jessi Finn Senior Production Editor: Laurel Hecker Content Development Specialist: Amy Rubenstein Copy Editor: Mark Hain Proofreader: Jessi Finn Text and Cover Designer: Abigail Bowen Associate Editor: Sarah Ludwig Editorial Assistants: Charlotte Jones and Elijah Oates

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AC K N OW L E D G M E N T S

©️2022 by Solution Tree Press

Passions, dreams, and family are extreme motivators during life’s journey. While exploring the tarmac of the beautiful Pennsylvania roads on my motorbike in the summer heat, I never expected a phone call from Robert Marzano extending an invitation to write a book about the experience of a Marzano Academies high school. I’m thankful and truly honored to have had this experience.

As an educator, each day I try to improve students’ lives, share my passions for science, and help make our school and our students achieve. That is the dream. My fellow educators help me each and every day. I am constantly inspired by their tenacity. I have been fortunate in my career to work alongside some of the most talented educators and leaders. I want to thank my former Proviso peeps, David, Annette, and Caroline, and the “Busy Peeps 2.0,” Lindsey, Hannah, Daryl, Addie, and Ashley. My fellow members of the fab five—Dave, Jordan, Zach, and Steven—are the men that know me best; thank you. Thank you to the entire Proviso East science department. Bill, thank you for opening the door to the Marzano Academies model and the conversations over Lou’s. This path of developing systemic change would not have been possible without Patrick. As a leader and a friend, you inspired me daily.

If there is one person I could pick to help run a personalized competency-based education school, it would be Megan. Ashley and I would not be in our position right now without her. She is the purest soul I know, whose educational purpose is to make teachers more effective.

Ashley, thank you. You are the brightest and savviest person I know. Your friendship means so much to me and there is no other person I would have wanted to share this accomplishment with.

I am so thankful the world connected us as colleagues and friends.

My wife, Karen; sons, Aiden and Hunter; and daughter, Emmerson, motivate me each day.

Family is everything. I am thankful for their patience in allowing me to grow not only professionally, but also as a father and husband. Thank you to my parents, Cindy and Phil, and brother, Adam. I am so thankful to be my father’s son, and the kindness of each of them warms me each and every day. Pop-Pop, the patriarch, thank you for your work ethic. Again, family is everything.

I am who I am because of them.

Lastly, to the educators reading this book: find those who inspire you. Make the time to listen to those people. Pull from them. Lean into discomfort with them. Grow from them. Debate with them. I promise you, you’ll be a better person for having them in your lives. Those individuals fill me with passion that motivates me to continue to create professional dreams. Oh, and if our paths ever happen to cross, thank you in advance for taking the time to stop me and have a conversation.

Thank you.

—Alexander S. Aschoff

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When I sat down to write acknowledgments, the first people who came to mind were my students. In the ten years that I have spent in my own classroom, I have met some of the most courageous, dynamic, and truly unforgettable human beings whom I have been lucky enough to call my students. Each one of them honestly has left a mark on me and shaped who I am as both a teacher and a person today and has inspired me to continue to give everything that I have year after year. I cannot even begin to express the lessons that they have taught me about life and am honored to still call many of them friends.

To my friends and colleagues who are like family to me: Megan and Alex, thank you. Meg, you are someone who inspires and motivates me to be the best version of myself. You are intelligent, witty, and determined, and never cease to amaze me with your endless knowledge on all things education and pop culture. I am so blessed to be on this planet with a person like you and know that our work together is far from done. Alex, I’m not sure that anything I can type here would be sufficient to describe the friendship that we have built. What began as two people with the same initials and similar glasses turned into two friends who share a work ethic and passion for pushing ourselves to our limits. I appreciate your listening ear and untainted opinions on all things and know that this is just the beginning of what is to come for our professional careers.

And last, but absolutely not least, to my family. To my husband, Vinnie, thank you. I cannot think of many other people who would be as supportive and understanding as you have always been.

No matter how many committees, clubs, or activities I continue to volunteer for, you never stop encouraging me to keep pushing myself and working to achieve all my goals. In a way, this book belongs to you, as you are the one who always convinced me that this was possible. I love you. To my boys, Cruz and Jax, Mommy loves you both immeasurably. I am so proud of the kind, gentle souls that you are, and know that the future holds amazing things for you both. I hope seeing me write this book encourages you both to never give up on your dreams. To my parents, Sue and Dave, I love you. Thank you for always guiding me and encouraging me to continue to be authentic. I know it was not easy raising someone who was determined to be different, but you always believed in me and supported the things that I loved and cared about. To my siblings, their spouses, and their amazing children, thank you for being you; I love you all. To my extended family who always support me and share their pride, thank you. To my family-in-law, I love and appreciate your support throughout the years; thank you for always rooting for me.

©️2022 by Solution Tree Press

I feel a great sense of love and appreciation for the many coworkers who have had an impact on my career trajectory. Lisa, thank you for showing me the path toward being an organized and impactful educator. Vince, thank you for taking me under your wing and exposing me to the beautiful, awe-inspiring world of competency-based education. The foundations that I built under your leadership have no doubt gotten me to the point I am today. To my English department colleagues present and past, thank you for always being the best teammates and for being my sanity during what often seemed to be a never-ending cycle of meetings that could have been an email. To my “Busy Peeps,” thank you a million times for the laughs and the honesty, and for being a true group of friends beyond the normal work week. To Bill, thank you for seeing something in my work that I sometimes couldn’t; your words of encouragement and fellowship will not be forgotten. Bob, thank you for trusting me to work alongside you, and for being a mentor throughout this process.

To the leaders who have impacted my time at Proviso, thank you. Patrick, I have grown so much as a teacher under your vision and your leadership and am forever grateful to you for always believing in me and my endless stream of “good ideas.” Fred, thank you for being a friend, a listening ear, and someone who always makes me laugh at the time I need it most.

Acknowledgments

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To those who took the time to purchase and read this book, thank you. Becoming a teacher has been the honor of my lifetime and writing this book alongside my dear friend Alex and someone as legendary as Robert Marzano has made it all worthwhile. My hope is that you read something here that inspires you or sparks an idea in you that leads to real, lasting change inside of your classroom.

Knowing that the ideas that we have might lead to a better future for teachers like you and your students makes my heart so full, and I am eternally grateful to have had this opportunity come my way.

—Ashley Avila

©️2022 by Solution Tree Press

©️2022 by Solution Tree Press

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TA B L E OF CO N T E N T S

About the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

©️2022 by Solution Tree Press

The History and Foundations of the Marzano Academies Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 The Marzano Academies Instructional Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 How This Book Is Organized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

CHAP TER 1 Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Design Area I: Proficiency Scales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Design Area II: Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

CHAP TER 2 Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Design Area III: Proficiency Scale Instruction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Design Area IV: General Instruction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

CHAP TER 3 Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Design Area V: Grouping and Regrouping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Design Area VI: Engagement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

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Design Area VII: Comfort, Safety, and Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

CHAP TER 4 Self-Regulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161 Design Area VIII: Belonging and Esteem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161 Design Area IX: Efficacy and Agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Design Area X: Metacognitive and Life Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196

The CBE Mindset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 CBE Skills and Processes for Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 A Community of Learners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199 Teaching as Facilitating and Evaluating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199 New Metrics for Grading and Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 References and Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

©️2022 by Solution Tree Press

CHAP TER 5

A BO U T T H E A U T H O R S

©️2022 by Solution Tree Press

Robert J. Marzano, PhD, is cofounder and chief academic officer of Marzano Resources in Denver, Colorado. During his fifty years in the field of education, he has worked with educators as a speaker and trainer and has authored more than fifty books and two hundred articles on topics such as instruction, assessment, writing and implementing standards, cognition, effective leadership, and school intervention. His books include The New Art and Science of Teaching, Leaders of Learning, Making Classroom Assessments Reliable and Valid, The Classroom Strategies Series, Managing the Inner World of Teaching, A Handbook for High Reliability Schools, A Handbook for Personalized Competency-Based Education, and The Highly Engaged Classroom. His practical translations of the most current research and theory into classroom strategies are known internationally and are widely practiced by both teachers and administrators.

Dr. Marzano received a bachelor’s degree from Iona College in New York, a master’s degree from Seattle University, and a doctorate from the University of Washington.

To learn more about Dr. Marzano, visit www.marzanoresources.com.

Alexander S. Aschoff is district coordinator of science for Proviso Township High Schools in Forest Park, Illinois. Aschoff started his teaching career in 2004 as a science teacher at Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois. During his tenure as a classroom teacher at Proviso East, he taught conceptual chemistry, honors chemistry, AP chemistry, conceptual physics, honors physics, and aviation physics. In 2017, he became the chair of the science department and helped successfully lead the school to earn the distinction of being the first high school– level Marzano Academy in the United States. In 2020, Aschoff became the division head of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, where he established STEM course pathways to ensure graduates are college and career ready. In 2021, he became the district coordinator of science for Proviso Township, where he coaches teachers to deliver quality science curriculum and aligns those efforts with the district’s strategic plan to be an equity-focused institution that provides educational excellence.

Aschoff served as the Empower liaison while Proviso East established itself as a personalized competency-based school and designed and provided professional development on the learning management system to improve the user experience for teachers, students, and parents. Aschoff’s

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strong belief in personalizing instruction and building student agency—which stemmed from his many years working in and observing the inequities associated with a low-income, minority district—led to improved teaching and learning. He was instrumental in leading professional development sessions within Proviso East to help teachers learn and apply the Marzano Academies’ sixteen indicators.

Aschoff received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Illinois State University, a master’s in educational leadership from Concordia University Chicago, and an English as a second language endorsement from Dominican University.

Avila has led various school-level professional development sessions for her colleagues, presenting on relevant competency-based topics, helping lead the effort to gain the status of first-ever high school–level Marzano Academy. She has worked as a consultant with local districts, offering advice and professional development for staff as they began to develop or plan their own transitions to competency-based education. Avila focuses on providing an inclusive, welcoming environment for attendees and believes in offering practical examples that can be used or modified with ease. In 2019, Avila began working to complete the Marzano High Reliability Teacher certifications and has earned completed Level 1, Courses 1 and 2, to date.

Avila received a bachelor’s degree in English (with a concentration in writing) from the University of Illinois Chicago. She also holds a master’s in education from Lewis University and a master’s in reading from Saint Xavier University.

©️2022 by Solution Tree Press

Ashley Avila is an English teacher at Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois. Avila has been an educator since 2009, when she started her career working various short- and long-term substitute assignments. In 2011, she began working in the city of Chicago at Westside Holistic Leadership Academy, a small alternative charter school that served post-at-risk and adjudicated high school–aged students. It was through this employment that Avila became passionate about bridging the gaps in education and found her passion for working with youth who are troubled or at risk. In 2013, Avila joined the charter’s competency-based education leadership team and worked alongside the committee to develop a framework that several of their schools would adopt. In 2015, Avila took her current position at Proviso East, where she was given the opportunity to participate in their competency-based education pilot and continue to be an advocate for underserved and underrepresented youth.

Introduction

©️2022 by Solution Tree Press

This book is about effective instruction in secondary classrooms. Of course, there are many books on this topic, and there will continue to be more every year. Unlike most of those books, this one focuses on instruction in competency-based classrooms (also known as standards-based classrooms, proficiency-based classrooms, and the like). In addition, it focuses on a specific model of competencybased instruction, which we refer to as the Marzano Academies model or simply the academy model.

The History and Foundations of the Marzano Academies Model The Marzano Academies model, as described in this book, is the product of decades of interrelated efforts to translate research and theory into practice starting with efforts in the 1980s to integrate direct instruction in thinking skills into the K–12 curriculum (for instance, Marzano et al., 1988). Such efforts have proceeded up to the present, with works that cover a wide variety of topics, including instruction, leadership, curriculum, assessment, vocabulary, standards, grading, high reliability organizations, professional learning communities, personalized competency-based education (PCBE), student motivation, social-emotional learning, teacher and leader evaluation, and taxonomies of knowledge and skill, to name a few. In short, the model presented here is the integration of numerous research and theory efforts over multiple decades, all of which were developed such that every piece is designed to fit with every other piece. This type of systematic planning is in contrast to the efforts in many schools to put together separate and sometimes disparate programs designed independently by different experts and organizations. While such efforts are well intended and have a certain intuitive appeal, they often fail because the selected initiatives might clash and cancel each other out, even though all are effective in their own right. Throughout this book, we systematically reference and describe the previous works on which the Marzano Academies model is based so that readers might consult those original sources, if they so choose.

Marzano Academies brings all these pieces together into a comprehensive model that produces consistent, high-quality education. This model is a departure from traditional structures of schooling in a number of ways. First, it is a competency-based system. Competency-based education (CBE) refers to the practice of promoting students to the next level only when they have demonstrated mastery of the academic content at the previous level. Time is not a factor—a student can progress at an accelerated rate in one subject and take more time in another. For example, a student who is chronologically a seventh grader might be working on sixth-grade English language arts content and ninth-grade mathematics content. Students are organized into classes and groups by their ability rather than by age, allowing teachers to provide more targeted, effective instruction. CBE ensures that students

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actually learn before advancing, so they master the content the school considers important at each level and are prepared for the next one.

Second, to determine the content that students will learn at each level, the Marzano Academies model defines its academic program in a highly precise manner. For each topic that students must master, a proficiency scale delineates the progression of learning, from basic knowledge and skills to the target level that students are expected to reach to opportunities for advanced applications. A manageable set of proficiency scales for each content area at each level ensures consistency—students master the same content and skills no matter which teachers they learn from. Proficiency scales show exactly what students need to know and how they will get there. Furthermore, teachers assess students, score work, and report grades based on proficiency scales. Feedback to students lets them know where on the scale their current level of knowledge falls, making it easy for them to see what they need to do to improve. When teachers report grades, it is not as an omnibus percentage or letter grade but rather as a set of individual scores for each topic that the student is currently working on.

A third way that the Marzano Academies model differs from a typical traditional school is its recognition that effective education goes beyond academic content. The model includes directly teaching cognitive and metacognitive skills, such as analytical thinking, problem solving, impulse control, and collaboration. These skills are as essential to preparedness for life and career as academic content, so age-appropriate learning progressions for each skill are defined through proficiency scales. Students learn information and processes related to each one, and teachers give feedback on students’ mastery thereof.

The Marzano Academies model also includes social-emotional components. The school community sets the environment for learning, and the quality of that community impacts the quality of students’ education. Thus, this model emphasizes relationships and a sense of belonging among students, teachers, leaders, and other stakeholders. In addition to regular social-emotional learning on topics like mindfulness and empathy, students in a Marzano Academy participate in inspiring programs like those presented by Rachel’s Challenge, an anti-bullying organization that focuses on kindness and compassion (www.rachelschallenge.org).

The final unique component we will mention here is the Marzano Academies approach to instruction. An instructional model defines in detail the practices associated with effective teaching. The Marzano Academies instructional model includes forty-nine elements of effective instruction for CBE, ranging from content-delivery elements like recording and representing content to elements related to the classroom context, such as showing value and respect for all learners. Instruction in the Marzano Academies model also includes the systematic use of strategies known to improve students’ retention of information, such as cumulative review. With support from school leaders, teachers are expected to set goals and develop their abilities relative to the elements of the instructional model.

The Marzano Academies instructional model is the primary focus of this book. While this model can be employed from the kindergarten level through grade 12, our emphasis in this book is on how

©️2022 by Solution Tree Press

To support students in learning the academic content defined by proficiency scales, the Marzano Academies model also employs a robust, schoolwide emphasis on vocabulary. Vocabulary is foundational to learning in general, and direct vocabulary instruction is the best way to ensure that all students know the words they need to know to be successful in school and in life (see Marzano, 2020, for a discussion of the research). At the elementary level, the focus is on acquisition of basic and advanced high-frequency terms—that is, words that appear often in general language use. Thus, students have a base vocabulary that prepares them to learn domain-specific academic vocabulary (for example, technical terms related to science) in secondary school. At the secondary level, the vocabulary emphasis is on terms that are critical to academic success.

Introduction

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it manifests at the secondary level, which ranges from middle school (typically grades 6 through 8) through high school (typically grades 9 through 12). Although our examples include both middle school and high school, the majority are at the high school level. The next section provides an overview of the academy instructional model.

The Marzano Academies Instructional Model

Overarching Domains

Feedback

Content

Context

Self-Regulation

Design Areas

I. Proficiency Scales

III. Proficiency Scale Instruction

V. Grouping and Regrouping

VIII. Belonging and Esteem

II. Assessment

IV. General Instruction

VI. Engagement

IX. Efficacy and Agency

VII. Comfort, Safety, and Order

X. Metacognitive and Life Skills

FIGURE I.1: Marzano Academies framework for CBE instruction.

At the highest level, the instructional model consists of four overarching areas, which we refer to as domains: feedback, content, context, and self-regulation. Each domain contains two or three design areas. As their name implies, design areas are important to the process of effective preparation and planning. The domain of feedback refers to the constant flow of information regarding students’ current status and their growth on specific topics at specific grade levels. This information is used by teachers, students, and parents. The domain of feedback involves proficiency scales (design area I) and assessment (design area II). Proficiency scales are at the heart of the academy model and provide a unique perspective on curriculum, instruction, and assessment within a CBE system.

The domain of content deals with core instructional strategies—the tools teachers use to help students initially learn and then further develop their understanding of the content within the curriculum. There are two design areas in this domain. Proficiency scale instruction (design area III) focuses on instructional strategies for content within the various levels of specific proficiency scales.

General instruction (design area IV) focuses on strategies that help students continually develop and revise their knowledge.

©️2022 by Solution Tree Press

One of the defining features of a competency-based classroom is that students move at different paces through the content. One student might progress through content quite quickly. Another student might progress through the content quite slowly. While there are certainly other characteristics of CBE instruction, this is the core. Clearly, this feature of CBE has significant implications for the nature of classroom instruction. The instructional model that teachers use in a competency-based system must therefore be designed with CBE in mind. In this book, we provide a CBE-specific framework and strategies based on research and experience (Marzano, 2007, 2017). The instructional model we present has a number of specific elements embedded in an overarching framework, as depicted in figure I.1.

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TEAC HING IN A COMPETENCY-BASED SECONDARY SC HOOL

The domain of context involves creating a classroom environment that maximizes support for student learning. It includes grouping and regrouping (design area V), engagement (design area VI), and comfort, safety, and order (design area VII). These design areas develop the foundation for effective teaching and learning.

Finally, the domain of self-regulation includes strategies designed to help students become independent learners and take responsibility for their own learning. It involves three design areas: belonging and esteem (design area VIII), efficacy and agency (design area IX), and metacognitive and life skills (design area X). This domain is uniquely important to a competency-based system that empowers students.

It is important to note that each of the ten design areas includes a number of elements. Each element of the instructional model represents a tacit responsibility for teachers—something they must do in the classroom to provide effective CBE instruction. For example, consider design area II, assessment. It involves four elements.

IIb. Using student-centered assessments IIc. Using unobtrusive assessments IId. Generating current summative scores Each of these elements is an important practice on its own, but when a teacher successfully enacts all of them, he or she effectively addresses assessment as a whole. There are a total of forty-nine elements embedded in the ten design areas. The design areas and their associated elements are shown in figure I.2.

Finally, teachers can address each element through a variety of specific instructional strategies. For example, element IIb, student-centered assessment, involves instructional strategies such as personal tracking matrices and student-generated assessments. In all, there are over three hundred specific instructional strategies in the model.

In summary, the academy model of instruction contains four domains. Those four domains have ten embedded design areas. The ten design areas involve forty-nine elements, and the forty-nine elements involve some three hundred specific instructional strategies. These layers are depicted in figure I.3 (page 6).

As teachers use the instructional activities associated with each of the elements in the academy model, they should be cognizant of how well those strategies are working. In two widely read books, John Hattie (2009, 2012) popularized the notion that the standard for judging the effectiveness of instructional strategies should be “visible evidence.” The titles of his books communicate this central theme: Visible Learning (2009) and Visible Learning for Teachers (2012). Within the Marzano Academies model, we have applied the concept of visible evidence to what teachers should do and how students should react relative to the instructional strategies within each element. Specifically, for each of the forty-nine elements in the instructional model, there are concrete visible behaviors that teachers should display. If the teacher executes these behaviors effectively, there are specific visible behaviors that students should exhibit. To analyze their effectiveness regarding the strategies in the fortynine elements, teachers should examine whether they have produced three types of visible evidence.

1. Evidence of effective instruction and guidance on their part 2. Evidence of desired student actions and behaviors relative to the strategies 3. Evidence of students’ understanding and awareness relative to the strategies

©️2022 by Solution Tree Press

IIa. Using obtrusive assessments

IIIb. Processing Content IIIc. Recording and Representing Content

Ib. Tracking Student Progress

Ic. Celebrating Success

IVg. Extending Learning Through Homework

IVf. Stimulating Elaborative Inferences

IVe. Previewing Content

IVd. Highlighting Critical Information

IVc. Examining and Correcting Errors

IVb. Revising Knowledge

IVa. Reviewing Content

IV. General Instruction

IIIg. Generating and Defending Claims

IIIf. Engaging Students in Cognitively Complex Tasks

IIIe. Examining Similarities and Differences

FIGURE I.2: Marzano Academies instructional model.

VIIf. Displaying Objectivity and Control

VIIe. Establishing and Adapting Rules and Procedures

VIId. Acknowledging Lack of Adherence to Rules and Procedures

VIIc. Acknowledging Adherence to Rules and Procedures

VIIb. Demonstrating Withitness

VIIa. Organizing the Physical Layout of the Classroom

VII. Comfort, Safety, and Order

VIh. Using Academic Games

VIg. Using Friendly Controversy

VIf. Presenting Unusual Information

VIe. Demonstrating Intensity and Enthusiasm

VId. Maintaining a Lively Pace

VIc. Using Physical Movement

VIb. Increasing Response Rates

VIa. Noticing and Reacting When Students Are Not Engaged

VI. Engagement

Vc. Providing Group Support

©️2022 by Solution Tree Press

Source: © 2020 by Marzano Academies, Inc. Used with permission.

IId. Generating Current Summative Scores

IIc. Using Unobtrusive Assessments

IIb. Using Student-Centered Assessments

IIa. Using Obtrusive Assessments

II. Assessment IIId. Using Structured Practice

Va. Supporting Group Interactions Vb. Supporting Group Transitions

V. Grouping and Regrouping

I. Proficiency Scales IIIa. Chunking Content

Context

III. Proficiency Scale Instruction

Content

Ia. Providing Proficiency Scales

Feedback

Xc. Focusing on Specific Metacognitive and Life Skills

Xb. Using Long-Term Projects

Xa. Reflecting on Learning

X. Metacognitive and Life Skills

IXd. Probing Incorrect Answers With Reluctant Learners

IXc. Asking In-Depth Questions of Reluctant Learners

IXb. Enhancing Student Agency

IXa. Inspiring Students

IX. Efficacy and Agency

VIIId. Providing Opportunities for Students to Talk About Themselves

VIIIc. Understanding Students’ Backgrounds and Interests

VIIIb. Demonstrating Value and Respect for Reluctant Learners

VIIIa. Using Verbal and Nonverbal Behaviors That Indicate Affection

VIII. Belonging and Esteem

Self-Regulation

Introduction 5

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TEAC HING IN A COMPETENCY-BASED SECONDARY SC HOOL

Four Domains

Ten Design Areas

Forty-Nine Elements

Over Three Hundred Specific Strategies Source: Adapted from Marzano, Rains, & Warrick, 2021.

FIGURE I.3: Complete academy model of instruction.

So that teachers may reflect on their instructional practice, we provide examples of these three types of evidence for each element in the model. It is important to note that we include examples of visible evidence beyond those specifically mentioned in our discussion of each element.

For detailed discussions of the strategies that are not directly discussed in this text, readers should consult one or more of the following sources.

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The New Art and Science of Teaching (Marzano, 2017)

•

The Handbook for the New Art and Science of Teaching (Marzano, 2019a)

•

The Marzano Compendium of Instructional Strategies (Marzano Resources, n.d.)

How This Book Is Organized Chapter 1 of this book addresses feedback, the first domain of the academy instruction model, and the two design areas within that domain. Chapter 2 addresses the domain of content and its two related design areas. Chapter 3 focuses on the domain of context and its three related design areas. Chapter 4 addresses the domain of self-regulation and its three design areas. For each design area, we detail the associated elements that teachers must address in their classrooms. In addition, for each design area, we include a section on understanding and planning. Many of the instructional strategies in each design area are based on new ways of thinking about teaching and learning.

Secondary teachers must understand these new concepts if they are to effectively implement a CBE approach. These new concepts have significant effects on how teachers plan their lessons and units.

Chapter 5 focuses on the different ways of thinking teachers must engage in to fully implement the academy model. We refer to this as the CBE mindset.

While this book is certainly useful to teachers in schools that are Marzano Academies or schools that are in the process of becoming an academy, it is also intended for teachers in schools that are not pursuing that process but do wish to use some of the components of the academy model within their current system. Schools that wish to go through the formal process of becoming an academy should contact MarzanoAcademies.org.

©️2022 by Solution Tree Press

While the Marzano Academies model includes a number of instructional strategies that will be new to teachers who do not have experience in a CBE system, it also involves many traditional instructional strategies. However, these traditional strategies are typically employed in new ways within a competency-based classroom.

“Robert J. Marzano, Alexander S. Aschoff, and Ashley Avila . . . offer constructs for developing clear learning goals, proficiency scales, and assessments that will save you decades of work, helping you move your teachers and students toward a better learning future.”

— B O B S O R N SON , founder, Early Learning Foundation; author, Brainless Sameness: The Demise of One-Size-Fits-All Instruction and the Rise of Competency Based Learning

“I challenge any educator to read this book and not feel morally compelled to shift their practices in order to better meet the needs of all learners. It is a step-by-step, how-to guide that recognizes the dual need for classroom teachers to provide students with both instruction of new knowledge and skills and support so they can self-manage their own learning in a move-when-ready, competency-based classroom setting.”

— B R I A N M . STAC K , coauthor, Unpacking the Competency-Based Classroom: Equitable, Individualized Learning in a PLC at Work®

Competency-based education (CBE) is an effective means of ensuring growth and learning for all students. In Teaching in a Competency-Based Secondary School: The Marzano Academies Model, authors Robert J. Marzano, Alexander S. Aschoff, and Ashley Avila introduce a purpose-built model of instruction for secondary teachers facilitating student learning, supporting individual growth, and fostering community in CBE systems. Based on decades of research, as well as practical experience in Marzano Academies schools, this book offers a detailed breakdown of effective teaching for competency-based classrooms.

Middle and high school teachers seeking to adopt or adapt the tenets of CBE can rely on this definitive guide.

•

Understand competency-based education and Marzano Academies’ specific approach

•

Familiarize themselves with the four domains, ten design areas, and forty-nine elements of the Marzano Academies instructional model

•

Implement the model in their competency-based secondary classrooms with practical examples and strategies

•

Facilitate their students’ journey to proficiency with academic content and development of important mindsets and life skills

•

Develop the correct mental approach to realize the full potential of CBE

ISBN 978-1-943360-43-7 90000

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MAR ZA N O • A S C H O F F • AVI L A

READE R S WI LL:

TEACHING IN A COMPETENCY-BASED SECONDARY SCHOOL

THE MARZANO ACADEMIES MODEL

THE MARZANO ACADEMIES MODEL

TEACHING IN A COMPETENCY-BASED ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

THE MARZANO ACADEMIES MODEL

TEACHING IN A COMPETENCY-BASED SECONDARY SCHOOL Robert J.

MARZANO

Alexander S.

ASCHOFF

Ashley

AV I L A